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Why choose ross feller casey?

  • More than $3 Billion in Recoveries in Personal Injury Cases
  • No law firm has recovered more on behalf of injured Pennsylvania children over 5 years
  • Team of Leading Doctor-Lawyers on Staff
  • Among the nation’s top plaintiffs firms – The Philadelphia Inquirer
  • More than 75 $10-Million-plus Verdicts & Settlements
  • National Reputation for Record Results
  • “A firm that keeps setting new records” – Harvard Law School

In just the last five years alone, the Ross Feller Casey law firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has recovered a remarkable $1 billion on behalf of its individual clients. That figure includes numerous multimillion-dollar recoveries by our Philadelphia whistleblower attorneys for those who have blown the whistle on fraud.

Federal Government CARES Act Fraud and Qui Tam Cases

Ross Feller Casey is now actively investigating potential whistleblower lawsuits in Philadelphia, PA, and across the nation involving the federal government’s $2 trillion CARES Act, intended to help small businesses cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whistleblower qui tam cases could stem from fraud related to the fiscal relief effort, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Some examples of fraud include a company padding employment or payroll figures to obtain more money from the government, banks approving PPP loans using misleading or unverified information, and companies selling substandard or defective virus-related products to the government, such as personal protection equipment. 

Those in the position to blow the whistle on fraud hold various positions within companies but likely will serve as bookkeepers, outside accountants, bank loan officers or underwriters, and office managers. If you find yourself in one of these positions and want to report fraudulent actions, a Ross Feller Casey whistleblower attorney in Philadelphia, PA, can help. 

Successful Whistleblower Lawyers - Philadelphia, PA 

According to U.S. Justice Department figures, the government recovered more than $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments in the fiscal year 2020, with $309 million being awarded to individual whistleblowers who first reported the alleged fraud.

Whistleblower claims have unique complexities and are often difficult to prosecute. That is why hiring the right whistleblower lawyer who has experience in whistleblower law is so vitally important. 

Ross Feller Casey has several dedicated Whistleblower lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, led by Brian J. McCormick, Jr. 

McCormick has assisted the U.S. government in the successful prosecution of several landmark whistleblower actions, including representing individuals in four of the largest whistleblower qui tam settlements in U.S. history:

  • Pfizer, Inc. agreed to plead guilty to criminal conduct and to pay $2.3 billion in criminal and civil fines, penalties, and damages to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-funded healthcare programs in connection with its market practices for four of its drugs, including Geodon and Zyvox.
  • Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries paid more than $2.2 billion to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from allegations relating to the prescription drugs Risperdal and Invega, including promotion for uses not approved by the FDA, and payment of kickbacks to physicians and the nation’s largest long-term care pharmacy provider. The global resolution was one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history, including criminal fines and forfeiture totaling $485 million and civil settlements with the federal government and states totaling $1.72 billion.
  • Eli Lilly agreed to plead guilty and pay $1.415 billion for promoting its drug Zyprexa for uses not approved by the FDA. It included a criminal fine of $515 million, which at that time was the largest ever in a healthcare case, and the largest criminal fine for an individual corporation ever imposed in a United States criminal prosecution of any kind. Eli Lilly also paid $800 million in a civil settlement with the federal government and the states.
  • AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in civil fines, penalties, and damages to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicaid and other government-funded healthcare programs in connection with its marketing and promotional practices for the blockbuster atypical antipsychotic Seroquel.

Most recently, in December 2022, BioTelemetry, Inc., a Philadelphia-area medical device maker, agreed to pay nearly $45 million to settle claims it defrauded U.S. taxpayers by outsourcing remote heart monitoring services to workers in India who were not properly trained. The case against BioTelemetry, now a Royal Philips company, was initiated by a whistleblower lawsuit that McCormick brought on behalf of former company employees.

In May 2021, a case filed by Philadelphia whistleblower lawyer McCormick led to a civil settlement in which Incyte Corporation paid $12.6 million to resolve federal allegations that it operated a kickback scheme involving its cancer drug Jakafi (ruxolitinib).

In 2019, McCormick helped the U.S. government and the state of California recover $6.6 million from a pharmaceutical company involved in a scheme in which it provided kickbacks to induce doctors to buy its dermatological products. The case involved Almirall, LLC, formerly known as Aqua Pharmaceuticals, of Pennsylvania. It was prompted by a former employee, represented by McCormick, who blew the whistle on the fraud.

In June 2017, Ross Feller Casey announced a settlement in which the owners of the Atlantic Spine & Joint Institute, a pain clinic with offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, agreed to pay $1.78 million to settle an allegation that it billed Medicare for procedures that were not medically necessary or were not actually performed.

Ross Feller Casey also helped federal lawyers secure a $6.07 million settlement with medical device companies EBI, LLC, of New Jersey, and Biomet, Inc., of Indiana, that resolved allegations that they used illegal kickbacks to induce doctors to purchase their bone growth stimulators. The 2014 case was prompted by a former company employee who McCormick represented.

Whistleblower Lawsuits and Federal False Claims Act Fast Facts

  • Whistleblower actions are also known as qui tam lawsuits. Qui tam is shorthand for a longer Latin phrase “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hoc parte sequitur.” Translated, it means “He who sues for the king as well as for himself.”
  • A qui tam action is permitted under the federal False Claims Act, which allows a private individual who knows about fraud committed against the U.S. government, such as tax fraud, to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government. Many states now also have laws similar to the False Claims Act.
  • The False Claims Act is the first whistleblower law in the U.S. and was signed into federal law by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War in 1863. Though it has undergone several revisions, the False Claims Act has always retained the whistleblower provision.
  • In successful qui tam cases, everyone wins — except those who committed the fraud. The government recoups what it lost, and the whistleblower may receive a portion of what is recovered, typically from 15 to 30 percent.

Types of Whistleblower Claims 

A whistleblower lawsuit can take many forms and touch many industries, which is why it is critical to have the formal legal advice of an experienced whistleblower lawyer. Some notable recent cases involved:

  • Healthcare fraud involving Medicaid and Medicare, as well as the Veterans Administration.
  • Off-label marketing of prescription drugs for unapproved medical conditions.
  • Procurement fraud by government contractors who overbilled or misrepresented goods and services or used illegal means such as kickbacks or bribes to win contracts.
  • Environmental fraud by contractors who fail to comply with environmental statutes and regulations.
  • Defense contractor fraud by defense contractors who submit a false claim about the products they manufacture or the services they provide the government.

What is the Statute of Limitations on a Qui Tam Lawsuit for Whistleblowers? 

The statute of limitations for whistleblowers to take action under the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act is as follows: 

  • Six years from the date a false claim was made
  • Three years after a federal official was notified about the fraudulent action
  • 10 years after the fraud occurred

There may be exceptions to the above, so it’s crucial to contact an experienced whistleblower attorney to determine if you can proceed with filing a qui tam lawsuit. 

How to Find a Whistleblower Lawyer in Philadelphia, PA?

Suppose you or someone you know has information about fraud involving federal funds or against the U.S., or a state or local government, past or present. In that case, the time to contact a Philadelphia whistleblower lawyer is now.

With a whistleblower lawyer in your corner, you can do the right thing and report fraudulent activities while ensuring that you are protected from retaliation from your employer as much as possible. Let a whistleblower attorney from Ross Feller Casey help you through the process. 

Your ability to file a successful whistleblower action could be limited under what is known as the “first to file” rule, which is designed to encourage the prompt reporting of fraud. This rule may require that only the first person — no matter whether they are the most qualified or most knowledgeable about the fraud — is entitled to the government award in a given case. This is where qui tam actions are different than all other personal injury cases. 

Why Choose Ross Feller Casey for your Whistleblower Case?

The attorneys at Ross Feller Casey understand the personal and professional risks you are taking to blow the whistle and expose fraud against the government. We have the expertise in Pennsylvania whistleblower law, federal laws, and the conscientious employee protection act to fight for and protect your rights through the entire whistleblower legal process. 

As with all of its cases, Ross Feller Casey handles whistleblower actions on a contingency basis, meaning there will never be a cost to you unless there is a financial recovery in your case.

Contact our office today for your free consultation with an experienced whistleblower attorney.